Break the Plateau

One of the best things you can do for yourself if you've been exercising hard and eating right for a period of time is to take a week off.

As you're exercising and noticing positive changes over the course of 3-4 months it can be counter-intuitive, but  a week of limited activity and lots of rest can do wonders. If you do any research on time management and productivity regarding work, everything you come across will tell you to put forth highly focused effort for anywhere from 1-2 hours and then to take 10 minutes to recharge your mind so you can come back for another 1-2 hours, etc. The same rule applies to your body. If you've been consistently exercising 4+ days per week, eating right, avoiding the temptation of sleeping in or the temptation of the office bagels for 12 weeks, that is a lot of wear and tear on your body physically and mentally.

Giving your body a week to get a little extra sleep and not be broken down by physical activity will allow it to recover a little more. I would suggest doing some stretching and foam rolling to enhance the recovery benefits even more during your off week.

Once you get back to your routine after the week off your body will once again be "shocked" and over the course of a few weeks you should bust through any plateaus you were on before and achieve even great positive results.